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TikTok is a popular social media platform owned by the Chinese internet tech company, ByteDance. It became popular in the U.S. less than five years ago, around 2018. China’s controlling power over Chinese companies has made several U.S. officials begin to worry about the safety of U.S. users on the platform. ByteDance must allow the Chinese government access to its internal information at any given time, including users’ data. “That law alone gives enough reason to be concerned,” FBI Director Christopher Wray told a Committee of lawmakers during a hearing about worldwide threats held last week.
ByteDance has said that it does not store U.S. data in China; however, a report published last month by Forbes revealed that the tech company tried using TikTok to monitor the physical location of specific Americans. The U.S. is trying to reach an agreement with ByteDance to ensure TikTok’s U.S. users have full protection. Without those assurances, TikTok could be banned in the U.S., just like YouTube and Instagram are banned in China. Please use social media with caution.
